Blood Betrayal

By Robert Child

The bodies are piling high—36 unsolved gangland murders at last count—and FBI Supervisor Hans Bauer has to do the unthinkable: put tough, independent Special Agent Frank Murray back on the squad he was twice kicked out of, Organized Crime.

Mafia Kingpin Nick Scarponi is back from prison and orchestrating the bloodiest reign of mob killings in Philadelphia history and Frank Murray, who tossed Scarponi in the can three years earlier, is his #1 target.

The taunt, tense, visually gritty story leaps off the page and grabs you by the throat. The action-packed tale could only be crafted by someone who knows the art of cinematic pacing—acclaimed Director and Emmy® nominated filmmaker, Robert Child.

Blood Betrayal is a classic, big city mafia crime story that cuts to the bone. It feels all too real because it is. The story is based on an historic FBI prosecution and investigation led by Charles "Bud" Warner the real life Frank Murray. FBI Director William Sessions, Attorney General Janet Reno and President Bill Clinton commended him for his extraordinary work on this case.

Blood Betrayal is a thrill ride of twists and turns and vividly drawn characters such as "Center City" Charlie, mob con man Nick “The Crow” Consiglioni and Murray's wife, Marlene, a gold-digger whose affair with a doctor is brought to a screeching halt by Murray in a scene that has to be read to be believed.

Former Philadelphia resident and director David Lynch chillingly described the city during the time of Blood Betrayal: "It was a very sick, twisted, violent, fear-ridden, decadent, decaying place. I felt like I was constantly in danger. But it was so fantastic at the same time. The people had stories etched in their faces."

Summon your courage and enter this world if you dare.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Child
• Release date: Jun 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476429366

Robert Child

"If you want to see a great movie read a book by Robert Child." N. Marcus, Literary Review. Stay up with new releases. Join Rob's newsletter at www.robchild.net Award winning author, Robert Child, is a master of action, pacing and cinematic storytelling in his visually gritty thrillers. Military history is one of his passions and runs through his veins. His Great-grandfather, Thomas W. Child, was cited for courage by his commander, Joseph Hayes, at the Battle of Fredericksburg fighting for the Union in 1862. Sergeant Child charged the stonewall not once but twice with the 18th Massachusetts and survived to fight on Little Round Top at Gettysburg. Not to be outdone Rob's 4th Great-grandfather, Jonas Child, fought for American Independence at the first bloody engagement of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Jonas went on to fight beside Gen. George Washington at the Battle of Dorchester Heights and served till the end of the war in 1781. Rob possesses that rare ability to transport readers almost instantly into gripping, intelligent page-turning narratives that feature well developed characters and cinematic action that jumps off the page like a major motion picture. He has won more than 25 awards for writing and aside from his regularly published independent works he is currently authoring a new WWII novel with coauthor, Denise George, which will be published by Random House / Penguin in the fall of 2016. Join his newsletter and keep up to date with all his new releases at www.robchild.net

Book preview

Blood Betrayal

Robert Child

© Copyright 2012 by

Smashwords Edition

Blood Betrayal

by Robert Child

Published by Robert Child at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Robert Child

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by means of any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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Works published and produced by Robert Child can be obtained either through the author’s official website: www.robchild.net or through any online retailer.

Works by Robert Child

Fiction

Blood Betrayal

The Russian van Gogh

Rush On, Boys: Hamilton at War

NonFiction

How Canada Won the Great War

Weather and Warfare

Gettysburg: Voices from the Front

Films

The Wereth Eleven

USS Franklin: Honor Restored

Silent Wings: The American Glider Pilots of WWII

Lincoln and Lee at Antietam: The Cost of Freedom

Gettysburg: Three Days of Destiny

Gettysburg: The Boys in Blue and Gray

*More information about all these titles is available at www.robchild.net

This book is dedicated to my children Jamie, Josh, Chloe and Michaela.

A man could not ask for more to be grateful for. Thank guys!

Preface

Blood Betrayal is inspired by the memoirs of retired FBI Special Agent, Charles Bud Warner, who received numerous commendations throughout his thirty-three year FBI career that began in Boston and ended in Philadelphia where he retired.

This story is based on a real FBI investigation Warner led which drew national media attention and a personal commendation from Attorney General, Janet Reno. It is not a blow-by-blow historical account but a fictionalized story, which uses dramatic license to enhance the drama and suspense. Within the dialog are liberal uses of profanity, which reflect the mafia accurately and the language of the street. In addition, in this section of Philadelphia, the term youse is a heavily used pronoun.

Blood Betrayal began life as a narrative screenplay that went on to become a top ten finalist at a prestigious international screenwriting competition in Los Angeles in 2011. A short time ago Bud Warner and I decided that we wanted the world to read this story and so we adapted it into the digital novel you now hold in your e-reader.

Bud and I also decided to expand his most compelling case files into a continuing crime series featuring the Frank Murray (Warner) character. If you ever have the honor of meeting Bud Warner, in person whom the Philadelphia papers labeled, the FBI’s Stand Up Guy, you’ll instantly recognize that he and Frank Murray are one and the same - a real life, no nonsense crime fighter who put his life on the line every day for the citizens of this nation.

It was a privilege to write this story and I hope you will look forward to future installments in the Agent, Frank Murray crime series. Shortly we will be publishing, Felony Express about a multimillion-dollar drug smuggling ring, which operated out of the Hollywood Palladium by way of a global shipping company. An excerpt from that forthcoming novel is contained at the end of this book as well as a link to purchase.

Thank you for purchasing Blood Betrayal and I hope you enjoy it!

—Robert Child

Chapter 1

LA TUNA FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION, ANTHONY, TX, 1984

In the blistering brown nothingness of far west Texas, the fortified gates of a federal prison glint in the sun. A motorcade of six luxury rental cars idle a short distance down the main drive at the curb. Guards with automatic rifles poised survey the scene from 20-foot towers behind barbed wire. A mechanical latch on the main gate clicks, and the steel mesh doors begin to separate.

A short, dark-haired man, 55, blue windbreaker, permanent smirk, Nicodemo Scarponi, glides towards two menacing guards near the front gate with rifles cradled. The guards flank 45-year-old warden, Frank Handy. Handy, in standard issue brown suit, has seen them come and go but few as colorful as Scarponi. Still, Handy’s stone face and eyes reveal no emotion as he watches the released prisoner approach.

Scarponi’s grin widens.

Be seeing ya, boss, Scarponi says as he finishes a mocking salute.

We’ll leave the light on for you Nick, Handy dryly retorts.

Continuing to walk, Scarponi can’t stifle a sarcastic grunt as six young Italian men wearing high-end designer running suits and coifed hairdos, known in Philadelphia as Nicky-dos, emerge from the dusty motorcade. Scarponi waves to them and picks up his pace to arrive at the curb. In an unspoken ritualistic pecking order, the men formally kiss Scarponi on both cheeks, one by one. Scarponi finally steps back, opens his arms and tilts his head to the side.

Now, get me the fuck outta here.

Instantly relaxed, the young mob soldiers pat Little Nicky on the back as they jump in behind the wheels of their rented limos. Nick takes one last hard look at the place he’s called home for the past three years and remembers his promise. That bastard is gonna pay.

PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, 2 WEEKS LATER

A click of a latch and a gate door opens to reveal a curvy USAir flight attendant trailed by Scarponi, eyes glued to her ass. Nick, properly cleaned up in a Brioni suit and long dark overcoat, leads his posse back home. First behind him is his nephew underboss pretty boy and cold-blooded killer, 25-year-old Phil Leoni. Sal Vestra, womanizing capo thug with feathered-back disco-era hair, follows him. Sal’s got used to running the show in Nick’s absence. The remainder of the entourage is comprised of four other made mob soldiers carrying luggage and garment bags.

Sun-guns flash on the waiting television cameras, flooding the gate area with harsh yellow-green light. Reporters shout and elbow their way toward Philadelphia’s returning mafia kingpin.

Scarponi, now rested and tan, waves to the crowd. The shrill voice of attractive blonde reporter cuts through the din. It’s Cheryl Kennedy from Channel Ten.

How’s it feel Nick, being back in Philly?

Scarponi stops, smiles.

Hey baby, it feels great.

A bearded, crusading male reporter, loyal NPR listener, sticks a silver microphone through the crowd of bodies. Nick, Mark Stein, Channel Six. Can you comment on all the recent violence downtown? Some are calling it a new mob war.

The smile leaving Scarponi’s face, he scans the crowd and shouts to no one in particular.

Yo, I’ve been on vacation.

A smattering of laugher erupts as reporters jot down the one-liner and Nick continues.

I don’t know nothin’ about it.

Stein prods. "So you’re saying this violence is going to continue, citizens gunned down in the